The Milwaukee Bucks are pulling out all the stops and encouraging fans worldwide to cast all-star ballots early and often for their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The goal: make Antetokounmpo the top vote-getter in the fan balloting ensuring that he would be the captain of the Eastern Conference squad.

"People around the world have developed an affection for him and understand how good he is," said Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry.

Of course, the Bucks face a formidable obstacle in their quest: LeBron James, 33, of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the best player in the NBA, and a 13-time all-star. Right now, with less than a week to go, Antetokounmpo is playing from behind.

At age 23 and bidding for his second all-star appearance, Antetokounmpo has a much lower profile than James. He doesn't have a major national TV ad. He has inked a deal with Nike but does not yet have his own sneaker on the market.

But the team feels it has an opportunity because of the international appeal of Antetokounmpo, especially in his native Greece. That, combined with a strong local following, and, of course, a solid season make him an attractive candidate, Lasry said.

Antetokounmpo is known for engaging often with fans at home and on the road. He often makes after-game visits with contingents from Greek communities and stirs attention by doing things like sticking around a grocery store autograph signing long after the event was to have ended, Lasry noted.

Team James took notice. The Cavs and their fans fired up their social media machine. When the second round of results was released Thursday, James moved into first place with 1,622,838 votes, followed by Antetokounmpo at 1,480,954.

Because when you’ve always been the underdog, overcoming a 140k vote gap is nothing.

Lasry, who has a background in Democratic politics that included a stint in the Obama White House, said the Bucks are tapping social media and using the unusual voting rules to support their top player.

They're helping fans make their messages more entertaining by tweeting small video clips and graphics that fans can embed in their own tweets.

"We're working with a variety of partners from throughout the world" to push votes for Antetokounmpo, Lasry said.

One key is to ensure that fans in other countries use social media in their native languages to whip up homegrown interest. Having those folks get into the balloting is more effective than messages cooked up by the Bucks team in their Schlitz Park office cubicles, the Bucks say.

"It's not just something that's come from a Google translator," Lasry said.

The Bucks also are using the all-star voting rules that allow multiple ways to cast ballots, a system that's a far cry from one-man, one-vote. For instance, a re-tweet of a vote counts as a vote.

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Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrates with Eric Bledsoe after throwing home an emphatic dunk in the fourth quarter to cap off a 37-point, 13-rebound performance in a 117-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Dec. 9 at the Bradley Center.
Aaron Gash, Associated Press

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David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

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Tony Dejak, Associated Press

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Darren Abate, Associated Press

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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks take down the Grizzlies on Nov.13 at BMO Harris Bradley Center with a 27-point effort.
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Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press

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Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo cut through the Kings for 33 points on Dec. 2 at BMO Harris Bradley Center as the Bucks won,
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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

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Winslow Townson, Associated Press

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Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo finds a clear path to the basket for a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 8 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Antetokounmpo finished the night with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Morry Gash, Associated Press

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Chris Graythen, Getty Images